Holiday Island voters approved a new 3 percent tax on lodging accommodations, including short-term rentals, in Tuesday’s general election.
In unofficial results announced about two hours after polls closed, 780 votes (55.7 percent) were cast in favor of the tax, with 621 votes (44.3 percent) against.
Incumbent Kenneth Mills defeated challenger Bryce Holland by a vote of 673-560 (54.6 percent to 45.4 percent) to retain the Ward 1, Position 2 seat on the Holiday Island City Council.
Eureka Springs city council members David Avanzino, Susane Gruning, Steve Holifield, Terry McClung and Harry Meyer all were elected to new terms without opposition, while Michael Welch was unopposed for the council seat currently held by Autumn Slane.
Holiday Island City Council members Lynn Dumas, Sharon Lawlor, Linda Graves and Barbara Kuhn all won new terms with no opposition as did Holiday Island recorder/ treasurer Wesley Stille.
District 6 State Rep. Harlan Breaux of Holiday Island won re-election against two challengers from Eureka Springs. A Republican, Breaux won a fourth term in the state House of Representatives, receiving 66.2 percent of the vote districtwide. The district includes all of Carroll County and a small portion of Boone County. Democrat Rick Delaney of Eureka Springs received 29 percent of the vote and Libertarian Dakota Logan got 4.8 percent.
Republican James Eaton was elected to the District 26 seat in the state House, running unopposed.
Democrat Jim Wallace of Eureka Springs was elected constable for the Western Township of Carroll County, defeating fellow Eurekan Jay Galyn — a Republican — by a vote of 2,057 (55.7 percent) to 1,635 (44.3 percent).
Republican Caroline Rogers was elected Justice of the Peace for District 11 in Carroll County, unseating longtime incumbent John Howerton, a Democrat. Rogers, an outspoken opponent of Scout Clean Energy’s planned “Nimbus Project,” a wind farm to be located southeast of Green Forest, received 646 votes (60 percent) to 429 votes (39.9 percent) for Howerton.
Scott Leech was elected mayor of the city of Beaver without opposition.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack was re-elected to his seat representing Arkansas District 3. Districtwide, Womack received 63.8 percent of the vote, compared with 31.8 percent for Democrat Caitlin Draper and 4.4 percent for Libertarian Bobby Wilson. Womack got 65.5 percent of the vote in Carroll County.
